Lindbergh: Some said Curtis got 'Jersey Justice'

From the moment John Hughes Curtis was brought to Flemington to be tried on charges of obstructing justice by providing false information to police, many aspects of his trial 75 years ago foreshadowed the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann.

(Hauptmann's trial was still 30 months away; ultimately he'd be executed for his role in the kidnap and death of the son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh from their East Amwell estate.)

Radio, newspaper and magazine reporters flocked to Flemington. Their readers and listeners back home wanted whatever news they could get about every aspect of the Lindbergh case.

Lindbergh was arguably the world's most famous man after his first-ever solo crossing of the Atlantic in 1927. He taught Anne to fly; together they won admiration for their exploits in the sky as they explored and mapped air routes for the developing airline industry. The March 1932 kidnapping of their 20-month-old son stunned the world; it was shocked when the baby's body was found two months later.

At the time, kidnapping was not a federal offense and was a high misdemeanor in New Jersey. So great was the public outcry that Congress passed a bill that June, the so-called "Lindbergh Law," giving the FBI jurisdiction over kidnapping.

Curtis, a small-boat builder from Norfolk, Va., claimed to be in contact with the kidnappers and led Col. Lindbergh on a search for the gang he said had the child. In his confession, Curtis said he was "insane on the subject of the Lindbergh matter" and that financial trouble had led him to a "distorted mind."

The reporters wanted it all: photos of Lindbergh as he arrived to testify; interviews and photos with Curtis; information (and photos) of the jury; details of the crime and inside news about the legal wrangling used by both the state and Curtis' lawyer, Hunterdon's Lloyd Fisher.

After Curtis' conviction and sentencing, there was immediate doubt about whether he was really guilty.

G. Wright Lankford didn't have any doubt. He was a reporter for the Virginian-Pilot, a Norfolk newspaper. Lankford was sure that Curtis was railroaded in a case of "Jersey Justice."

Curtis "never had a chance ... he was shown no mercy by the State Police; he was shown no mercy by the hostile crowd which was crying for blood because of the murder of the Lindbergh baby.

"The police did not have the murderers nor the kidnappers, but they had a man they charged with telling a lie in the case. Someone had to be the goat. That was Curtis," Langford wrote.

Worse, "The men who murdered the golden-haired baby boy still roam at large, still fugitives from justice, perhaps gloating over their ability to evade a blundering and allegedly corrupt police system."

The Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch wasn't as convinced of Curtis' innocence. But it published an editorial and called the Curtis trial "a farce."

"He was as clearly entitled to a fair trial on the criminal charges preferred against him as any man or woman in America ... if even half of the reports of the so-called trial of Curtis in New Jersey are reasonably accurate, he has not been convicted after a fair trial," the paper wrote.

According to the Ledger-Dispatch, a "chagrined, vengeful police organization" sought "a victim instead of a kidnapper and murderer," and then railroaded him to prison. Every benefit of the doubt went to "not the prisoner, but the prosecution."

The Ledger-Dispatch was especially critical that the prosecutor in the Curtis trial was allowed to describe to the jury "in detail the corrupted condition of the little boy's body... none of that aspect of the tragedy could have the slightest bearing on Curtis' guilt or innocence."

Only one aspect of the trial surprised Lankford. "The surprising thing to Virginians, here for the trial, was that the jury deliberated for almost four hours before arriving at a verdict," he wrote. "Knowing the hostility of the community and of the court and jury, they had expected a conviction within a few minutes."

The Democrat reported both Norfolk newspapers' observations "for what it may be worth to Democrat readers."

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If you have recollections, or recall relatives' stories about this era, we'd like to hear from you. Call Curtis Leeds at 782-4747 ext. 697. Or e-mail cleeds@hcdemocrat.com.

Eleven reprinted Democrats from 1932 and 1935, covering the Lindbergh kidnapping and the Hauptmann trial, are sold as a boxed set at our office. The price is $29.95 plus tax and shipping, if required. Call 782-4747 ext. 603 for details. We also sell several books about the case.